Monthly Archives: October 2016

A peace of something I would like to have.
Something … still and quiet.
Not rushed.
Something that has time to pause
to observe beyond seeing
and listen beyond hearing
and read between my lines
and feel beyond the hard callouses of my opinions.

I’d love to have a peace of all the time in the world.

A peace of something
soothing like cool water on a hot day;
Or a single-origin coffee that yearns
to be savoured
with …

A peace of something that tastes like
curiosity and possibility
and a peace of contentment.

A peace of something infused with
hope and God
and grace
when all my infusions are bitter and selfish.

So bless me for a peace of that
which leaves me both
satisfied
and hungry for more

For every time I leave you
I am …

Still
in
One Peace

“Still in One Peace” is a reflection on a sign-off line in an email;
for a meal with the beautiful women from the Heathmont UC women’s fellowship;
with the words of Jesus who sat with them and said
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”.

Excitement / panic / bewilderment is building – it’s suddenly dawned on you what you have committed to … your first, or next, running event. 4 days / 5 sleeps to go. You’ve done your training … so what’s important now? Here’s my list … more or less in this order.

Every night – get to bed early / on time (set an alarm on your phone or watch)

Tuesday / Wednesday – trim your toenails.

Wednesday / Thursday – check the course and talk to friends and family about where they might stand to cheer you on – and where they expect to meet you afterwards (the ‘G’ is a big place!). You may also want to check out post-race celebration spots or events!

Thursday / Friday – lay out your gear … pre-race, race, post-race. Remember gels, lubrication, bandaids, extra loo paper, cap, watch – and you’ll need a throw-away sweater or garbage bag for a start-line warmth and to keep out the rain. Note: Any clothing discarded at the start line will be collected for charity … so a visit to an op-shop can be a double charity gift! If you are missing anything, put it on your shopping list!

Thursday / Friday – one final slow, short run before race day. Note: Both SLOW and SHORT are essential!

Thursday to Saturday – visit the expo and pick up your race goodies and number. Talk to the pacing team, chat to the Spartans, get lots of tips and buy some cool gear. JUST DON’T be fooled into buying something for race day that you have not tried out. Those new socks or shorts – save them for your first run after the big day!

Friday-Saturday. Drink water, eat healthy, get rest. Spending Saturday wandering the city would NOT be good for your race day.

Tapering runners are often pictured as out of control monsters, with voracious appetites and a deep emotional need to run further! It’s all true! The Taper is hardest on our minds – but that’s normal.

The logic of the human body in training is that muscles build and the body gets stronger in the rest times – not when we are out on the track/trail/road. Our normal training programs include natural run/recover/rest cycles. The taper is the longer version of the recover/rest part of this, and is crucial to enabling your body to be at its peak for race day.

To be in top condition for any event, tapering runners need to pay particular attention to the following:

Body stuff – ‘Taper flu’, muscle niggles and gripes are common during taper. This can be a shock for first-timers, but even experienced runners experience physical and mental issues in the lead up to a race. Some of this is your fears messing with your body; some of it is just your body settling. It’s normal. Don’t panic. Trust your training. If you think it might be serious, see your physiotherapist or myotherapist who will often set a good plan for getting you through your event.

Sleep – Get at least 8 hours sleep every night. Your body does amazing recovery stuff while you do nothing! Tip: Set an alarm on your phone or watch 1 hour before bed. Turn off all electronic devices, lock up the house, prep for the next day, write in your journal / read / do a little yoga or meditation or breathing control, etc to prep for sleep.

Nutrition – In recovery, you might naturally crave more / bad food. For the next 10 days, stay the course with your nutrition. You can dive back into the pies, pizza and beer immediately after your event (if that’s your thing). Tip: have healthy snacks on hand at work, in the car and at home.

Stretching and massage – in taper time, use the extra training time to do careful stretching. Spend extra time on the foam roller and spikey ball, especially in those tight places like calves, feet and glutes. Up to 5 days out is a good time to get a massage too. Your body will love you for it. Tip: Check out Caleb McInnes’ post here.

Focus – Your physical training is done, now is a good time to focus on some mental stuff. Calming your mind/heart is an important part of the Taper, as is visualising the course and your finishing. Tip: Check out Kate Atkinson’s post here

Running – Just because you are tapering, doesn’t mean you are not running. Your long runs should be getting shorter by about 30% at a time, and your speed work should take a similar cut. The normal rule for the first 1/3 of a taper is to cut distance, but not intensity. My taper is 3 weeks. For the last week, you should be only doing one short session at race pace (NO FASTER!) – I’m planning 2x2km on Wednesday (with a warmup and cool down). A short Monday and Thursday or Friday easy run are good too. Just don’t be tempted to dial up the pace when your body is feeling so good. Save it for race day.

9 days out! Running tip #16: Use the taper to prepare your body and mind to be sharp and ready for race day.